Combination hoist and aerial tram



April 9,1935. H, Hm; 1,997,217

COMBINATION HOIST AND AERIAL TRAM Filed Jan. 1'7, 1934 5 Shgets-Sheet l Inventor H. L. HITE COMBINATION HOIST AND AERIAL TRAM File Jan. 17, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 9, 1935.' H. HlTE 1,997,217

A AL TR 7 iled Jan. 1'7, 1934 5Sheets-Sheet 5 wmm Attorney April 9,1935. H ,Hm 1,997,217

COMBINATION'HOIST AND AERIAL TRAM FiledvJan. 17, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 E w E i 3 E Inventor Attorney April 9, 1935. n- 1,997,217

COMBINATION HOIST AND AERIAL TRAM Filed Jan. 17, 195.4 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 i the apparatus omitted.

Patented Apr. 9, 1935 11: :2;

1,991,216 COMBINATION HOI'ST AND AERIAL- TRAM' erbert LI'Hite, Yuba oit'y,-ca1ir. V f Application January 17, 1934, Serial No. 707,028 3 Claims." "(o1.214--s0) This invention relates to what may be termed acombination hoist and aerial tram the .same beingespecially designed to facilitate the handling of waste material. orpay. dirt of mines andzat the same time todo away with'bins and cars operatedby hand over. tracks. "The-invention together with its objects and advantages will be'best understood from a study of the following description taken in connectionwith'the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure v1- is an elevational view-showing the application of the v invention with the car in position for dumping the contents thereof.

U Figure 2 is an enlarged view partly in sectionand partly in elevation showing the location of the parts with the car as it approaches the mouth of the mine shaft.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view somewhat similar to Figure 2- with certain parts of Figure 4 is a top plan view of a carriage. Figure 5 is a perspective view of a trip mechanism. I

Figure 61s a perspectiveview of atrip plate.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a keeper plate tolbe hereinafter more fully referred to, and

Figure-8 is a perspective view of a spring latch.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals it will be seen that I0 designates gener--* ally a mine shaft that is inclined at an angle to the perpendicular. Leading from the mouth II 1 of the mine shaft is a 'track 12 which is a conandianfurtherzpuu on, the draft cablev '9 will cause the cradle withthe cansuspended theretinuation of the inclined track I 2 provided in the mine for the car IS. The car I3 is of any suitable construction and includes among other parts suitable wheels l4, and a'verticallyswinging hinge bottom IS proVidedatthe forward end of the cartransversekeeper bar- I6 'with' which are engageable pivoted latches l1. At" its forward end the car I3 'is -alsoprovided with a suitable bail-I8 to which is secured one end of a draft cable l9 provided for drawing thec'arl3- along the inclined track out of the mine. Other suitable mechanism will of course be provided for the cable I9. I

An inclined tram cable is anchored at its lower end at the mouth of the mineshaft as clearly shown in the drawings and suspended from the cable 20 is what may be termed a skeleton clevis, or carriage, or cradle designated by the reference numeral 2|.

The cradle 2| comprises a pair of inverted cross bars 22 to the ends of which are secured opposed angle iron tracks 23. Between the ends thereof I the 'bars. 22' are connected by slightly spaced parallel angle bars 24 and rising from the bars 24 adjacent the ends thereof are brackets.

. 25 in which are journa1ledsheaves'26 that ride along the cable 20 atthe underside of the cable. Inwardly from the brackets 25 arebrackets 21 that arebraced with respect to the bars 22 by diagonal braces 28. Journalledin the. brackets 21 .are sheaves 29 that ride on thecable '20 at the top of the cable. The cradle, carriage or clevis 2| ,has the tracks thereof at the lower end curve downwardly sothat rollers 30 provided on oppositesidesof the car l3 may easily ridetheree. onto when the ,clevis is in, the position shown in Figure 2 and as the car I3 passes from the shaft through the mouth ll, thereof. The movement of the'car I 3 inwardly of'the cradle or clevis 2| is arrested throughthe medium of stops. .3! pro:

vided on:the tracks 23 as shown in Figure 3;:

For, releasably retaining theacar and cradle or clevisinterengaged. there is provided at-the. rear or lower endof 'thelcradle a transversely mounted shaft 32-that-is normally urged to ro ;tate ina clockwise. direction through the medium of a coil spring 33. On one end of the shaft 32 thereisf provided a latch member34 that isadapted to rengageabehind the rearnend of the car l3 asshown in Figure 3. and with the forward rollers 30' engaged with the stops 3! and thelatchmember 34, engaged with the rear end of the car l3 it willbe apparent that the car will' be held in position within the cradle by to move from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown inFigurel thus bringing; the car I3; to the terminus of the track l2.

At this point the car I3 is relieved of its load. 7

For. releasing the bottom of the car for dumping, purposesa suitable trip mechanism is pro- ;vided. This trip mechanism includesa skeleton .framestructure 35in; which are suitably journalled upperand lower sheaves36, 3! the -up per sheave 36 riding on the cable 20 and the lower sheaves 31 having trained thereover the draft cable I9 as shownin Figure 1. There is also journalled in the skeleton frame structure of the trip device a sheave 38 disposed in advance of the sheave 36 and engaging the under side of the cable 20. For adjusting the trip' device 35, and for securing the same'at the desired position there are provided suitable cables 39, 40 with which suitable winches or other mechanism (not shown) will be provided for exerting the necessary tension thereon. Carried Means is provided for releasably locking the cradle, carrier or 'clevis 2| in position at the mouth ll of the mine shaft-as showr'r'in Figure 2, and such means consists the present instance of a keeper plate '43 that is provided with attaching flanges 44 whereby'it issecured by suitable fastening elements to the frame of themouth H as suggested in Figure '2. co: operable withthe keeper plate 43 is a latch mem ber 45 that is provided with-an ofisetportion intermediate its end, and at'said offset por-' tion is pivoted between. bars 24- asat 46. At its pivoted end the latch. is connected by a- 41 with a lever- 48' that is'pivoted between the bars 24 as at 49. .The lever 48 is normally urged: to rotate in an. anti-clockwise direction through j the medium of the spring 50*for releasably'retaining the latch member 45 engaged with the; To release the car l3 when keeper plate 43'. the car together with the carrier 2 approaches the mouth ll" ofthe mine shaftthere-is suitably secured to the frameworkabout the mouth ll of the mine shaft. a trip plate 5| with-which is engageable an arm 52 provided on'thef free end of the shaft 32. Obviously as the cradle 2| approaches the mouth of 'the mine shaft-arm 52 will be moved into engagement with the" plate 5 in a manner to cause shaft 32to rtate in an anti-clockwisedirection'to raise the latch 34and thus release the" car IS. with the car |3- thus releasedcable |9- may be paid out to permit the car l3 to: back down-into the mine shaft. r y

On opposite sides of the track adjacent to the mouth H of the mine shaft there are pro-j; vided suitable, elevated guard rails 53 for gui'd ing the carriage, cradle or clevis"2'|-'while shorter and lower guard railsthe car 13. a At the forward or 54 are provided to guide raisedend of the cradle,

clevis or carriage 21 there is also provided a sheave 55 over which is trained the-draft rope I 9'."

It will also be apparent that on a return of the car l3 from the positionshown in Figures 1 -0r 3 to, for example, the'position vshown in Figure 2 the bottom of the car is caused to swing upwardly to a closed position by coming intocontact with the: ends 26 of the rails of l the track |2,;which-ends' IZa-are turned downwardly' as will be" noted for that purpose.

Also, for releasing thelatch 25 thereis pro vided at the top ofthe car l3 and extending 'acrossthe front end of the car a bar 55 in the path of which is arranged the free end of the lever 48. Thus it will be seen that as the car l3 moves inwardly onto the cradle 2| bar 55 will come into contact with said free end of the lever 48 causing the latter to swing aboutits pivot 49 in a clockwise\ direction resulting in a similar swinging movement being imparted to the latch 45 for lifting the latch out of engagement with the keeper plate 43 thus freeing the cradle 2| so that the latter together with the car now suspended therefrom may be moved upwardly to inclined tram cable, a cradle suspended from said cable and movable therealong, opposed spaced tracks carried by said cradle, a car, rollers 'ono'pposite sides of the car and engageable with the tracks of the cradle for suspending the car from the. cradle, and a latchmember pivotally mounted on one end of the cradle and engageablewith a corresponding end of. the car; stop members on said tracks at the end thereof re-' mote from said latch member and cooperable with the latch member for holding the car against longitudinal movement relative to the cradle.

2. In :a device of the character described, a cradle, suspension means for the. cradle and along which'the cradle isconstrained to move,

track members on'the cradle a car, rollers on the car engageable with the tracks of the cradle forv suspending the carfrom'the cradle, interengaging means on the .cradle and the car for retaining the car engaged with the cradle, said car. including a hinged bottom provided with a keeper bar, andpivoted latch members on the car engageable with the keeper bar, and atrip device arranged in the path of .the cradle and including a traveling frame structure and a transverse trip bar carried thereby and arranged to engage. the latchj members on the bar for tripping the latches to freethe bottom of the'car.

3. The herein described material handling mechanism consisting of a traveling cradle and a trip device having substantially the same path of 'rnovement, a car,'inter-engaging' means on the car andthe cradle for guiding the car onto the cradle and for suspending the car from the cradle, means on the cradle engageable with opposite ends of the car for securing the same against longitudinal movements relative tothe cradle, said car being provided with a pivoted bottom, latch means for securing the bottom in the latter to release the bottom of the car as the cradle and car approach the trip device, and

means'for securing the trip device at a set position relative to the cradle.

HERBERT L. a 

